The Hell Girl
by Jopeth23
Summary: AU crossover with "Jigoku Shoujo". Legend says that at the stroke of midnight, the "Hell Network Portal" website appears. They say that if you write a person's name on the Hell Network Portal, the Hell Girl would appear to you to deliver your vengeance by sending that person to straight to hell. But it comes with a heavy price. Are you willing to pay the price for your vengeance?
1. Prologue: The Longest Monday

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, its characters, and setting.**

**A/N: This is an AU horror fic that I had been developing for quite a while now. This is based on the anime "Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl). For those who are not familiar with that anime, fret not, for I have written this fic to be enjoyed by both anime fans and non-fans alike.**

**Prologue: The Longest Monday**

"RUN!"

Harold screamed as they dispersed in the school yard, running away from the fifth graders bent on shoving them into the trash cans. It's the day of the year where tradition dictates that the fifth graders would shove fourth graders into the trash cans, while the latter do the best they can to escape them and survive that day unscathed.

The escape plan had been laid out to the gang early that morning. The moment the bell rings, they are to run as fast as they could out of the classroom, make their way into the dangerous hallways, and make their way out of the building and split into three groups. The first group would be made of Rhonda, Nadine, Harold, Sid, and Stinky, while second group would be Gerald, Arnold, Eugene, Lila, Phoebe, and Sheena. The third group would be Park, Joey, and Iggy.

The first and second group would take different routes, and later rendevous at Park's safehouse near the pawnshop, while the third group would get the attention of the fifth graders, and draw them away from the first and second group. From there, they can plan their next move and make it to their homes unscathed.

Even before they even made it out of the school building, there were already "casualties". Eugene, being a jinx he was, tripped just as he made his way out of the classroom, where a fifth grader picked him right away and stuffed him into a waiting trash can. The gang was ambushed on their way out of the hallway, and Joey was the one unlucky enough to be picked out of the group and was stuffed into a trash can nearby. At the schoolyard, Arnold managed barely to rally the panicked group around, and executed their escape plan.

Arnold and his group made their way into the winding back alleys, and into the backyards of different houses. As they followed the complicated winding route, Arnold silently hoped that the other group was not ambushed or encounter any fifth grader along the way and make it to the safehouse in one piece. The reason the group was divided this was that if they should encounter any fifth grader along the way, the boys could easily hold them off and allow the girls to run towards safety. Arnold hoped Harold would be not the first one to run screaming "Mommy!" if their group should encounter any fifth grader, being a big coward that he was.

"Guy, we're here. Stay here. Arnold and I will check if the coast is clear," Gerald said to the girls hiding behind a dumpster. They then headed out of the alley, and looked left and right for any signs of fifth grader who might be patrolling the streets on this ominous day.

"Clear!" Arnold called out to the girls, and they dashed across the street and into the alley beside Mrs. Vitelllo's flower shop. Behind the dumpster was a confused pile of corruggated metal sheets and cardboard arranged to make a makeshift shack. Arnold headed to the small door with a "Biohazard" symbol painted on it. He knocked on it three times. The person inside replied with two knocks, to which Arnold replied with three. The door swung open inwards, Park holding it open for the group.

"Come in, come in, hurry! Are you complete? Was anyone left behind?" he asked as he turned on the light.

"As you know, Eugene never made it out of the school. Aside from him, we're in one piece," Gerald replied as he reclined on a beanbag couch.

"Yahoo soda?" Park handed a bottle to Arnold from an icebox in the corner of the shack.

"Thanks, Park," Arnold said, and assisted in handing out Yahoo sodas to the girls.

After a few minutes, a furious knock came on to the door. Before Park could even respond with a "challenge knock", the door flew open and Sid, Harold, Rhonda, and Nadine rushed in, all sweaty, panting heavily.

"Guys, what happened?" Arnold asked, looking at each and one of their faces. "Where's Stinky?"

"He...he didn't make it..." Sid said sorrowfully, shaking his head.

"They got him! Right at the corner of Vine Street, they came out of nowhere, and...and..." Harold hung his head in sorrow, unable to go on with the story.

"Animals!" Gerald cursed beneath his breath.

"And look what they made me do with my dress!" Rhonda bawled out, pointing to the torn spot on her dress. "Mom just got it from Paris! I swear, when I get home tonight, I'll write all of the fifth graders' names on the Hell Network Portal."

There was a collective gasp among the fourth graders as they looked at Rhonda in horror. Rhonda scowled at them.

"What? I'm just kidding! And for all they've done for today, they all deserved to go to he-"

"Uh guys...what's the Hell Network Portal?" interrupted Arnold.

All of the eyes switched from Rhonda to Arnold, looking at the blond boy incredulously.

"What?! Boy howdy! You mean, you don't know about the Hell Online Portal?" Sid asked him, looking at Arrnold as if he had grown a second head.

"Uh, no. Never heard of it," he replied, shaking his head.

"That's a legend in our school that has been passed from one kid generation to another kid generation. And I guess it's up for the Keeper of the Tale to tell you about the Legend of the Hell Network Portal. Take it away, Gerald," Sid said as he presented Gerald a wooden crate for his "podium".

Gerald cleared his throat as the fourth graders gathered around him, eager to hear the legend, even those who were familiar of it. He stepped on the wooden crate and went to his "storytelling mode".

"They say that if you hate someone enough, and you want him to disappear from this world, then you need to put his name on the Hell Network Portal. It is a website that one could only log in to at the stroke of midnight. Once you put the name of person yoy're really mad at, a girl will appear to you..."

Gerald paused, looking at everbody, building the tension surrounding his story.

"They say that she's a very lovely girl with a shimmering blonde hair tied in pigtails, deepest crystal blue eyes, and a cute pink dress. But don't be fooled...for she's the _Hell Girl_!" Gerald boomed. The fourth graders stared at him blankly.

Gerald gave them an annoyed look, failing to elicit an expected response.

"Ehem...she's the _Hell Girl!_" Gerald boomed once more. This time, the fourth graders gasped in horror. Gerald smiled in satisfaction.

"The Hell Girl would appear to you, and would agree to take that person straight to hell for you. But beware, for it comes with a price..."

"They say that the Hell Girl would make you sign a contract..."

"Um...what's a contract?" Harold asked stupidly.

Rhonda rolled her eyes at him, "A contract is a written agreement that you need to sign so you willl not chicken out of the deal in the future. Don't you know anything, Harold?"

"Anyway...as I was saying," Gerald said. "They say that the Hell Girl would make you sign a contract with her. In exchange of taking that person to hell for you, your soul would belong to her..."

"Which means?" Arnold asked.

"Which means that if you die, your soul will be taken to hell as well, no matter how good you were or your intentions were for bringing that person to hell."

Everybody gazed at Gerald, stunned.

"So my friends," he continued. "The moral of the tale is, vengeance may be an easy way out, but it comes with a heavy price to pay. And that's the legend of the Hell Network Portal." He then bowed down, and everybody clapped, amazed at Gerald's storytelling skills.

"Boy howdy, that Hell Girl is surely amazing and scary at the same time," Sid said to Arnold.

"Yeah, but I wonder who would actually put someone's name in the Hell Network Portal," he said.

"I'm ever so certain that if someone is angry enough, he would resort to using the Hell Girl even he'll go to hell in return," Lila chimed in.

"I have to concur with Lila," Phoebe agreed with her bestfriend. "A person who's consumed with vengeance would stop at nothing to satisfy his emotions, even taking the most irrational course of action."

Arnold nodded. He thought the notion of sending someone to hell in exchange of one's soul seemed to silly for him. If something could be settled peacefully and diplomatically, why would someone resort to violence, or vengeance, or selling your soul to _some_ Hell Girl.

_**BAAAAAG! BAAAAAG!**_

A baseball bat busted through the door, punching a large hole on it. A face poked through hole and cackled evilly. _Wolfgang!_

"Here's Wolfgang!" he said, and he continued bustng down the door. The fourth graders screamed in panic. Trapped inside the safehouse, they are virtually sitting ducks in the face of the bloodthirsty fifth graders.

"Quick, to the windows! Hurry!" Park pointed to the windows, giving the girls a boost so that they could jump out first.

Finally, the door gave way and flew open, and the horde of fifth graders made their way in. They started their onslaught by grabbing the first fourth grader they saw and stuffing him into the trash can that they brought with them. Sid and Park who stood near the door were the first casualties. No mercy were shown even to the girls. Somebody grabbed Nadine as she pushed Rhonda out to the window, sacrificing herself to ensure her bestfriend to get away unscathed. Arnold, Gerald, and the other girls were able to climb out of the window and scamper to safety. Harold, who was too heavy to pull himself out of the window was left behind.

"Mommy!" was his last blood-curdling scream they heard from Harold as someone pulled him from the window.

"Harold!" Arnold said, turning around, preparing to go back to help him. Gerald grabbed his best friend's shoulder and gave him a dark look, shaking his head. Arnold hung his head, and with heavy heart, nodded, and went back on running away from the safehouse with the girls.

As they made their way across the winding alleys and streets, they formulated their plan. They were to make their way to the Sunset Arms boarding house, where they can rest and sit the rest of the day out, wait for nightfall, and go to their respective homes. Gerald would run ahead of the group to check the road ahead to warn them if any fifth grader might be waiting or laying an ambush for them, while Arnold with stay with the girls and cover the rear.

Arnold and the rest of what remained of the gang sat behind a dumpster, waiting for Gerald's "all clear" signal. They finally heard a wolf whistle. That's Gerald, and the road behind was clear. They stood up and continued running along the street.

As they passed a dark alley, something caught Arnold's eye. A blonde girl in a pink dress with a large pink bow tied up on her hair stood there, looking at him. He stopped to look at the blonde girl in pink. She seemed like they were of same age. Her golden locks tied in pigtails danced with the wind as she gazed at Arnold with her cold, emotionless, crystal blue eyes. There's something unsettling with that girl that made Arnold uneasy. Something that would make his hair on his back stand. There was something in his eyes that gave Arnold the creeps.

Something unearthly. Something _not human_.

Could be she's the girl in the legend? Could it be that she's the Hell...

"Hey Arnold! Are you gonna stand there and wait for the fifth graders to catch up!?" Gerald shouted at his friend, who was standing, staring blankly at the dark empty space in the alley.

Arnold turned to Gerald and shouted back, "Alright, I'm coming!"

Arnold turned back to the alley where the blonde girl in pink stood, only to see the dumpsters and the overflowing trash that filled them, and the dark, dank alleyway.

She's gone.


	2. Eugene Horowitz: The Contract

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!, its characters and settings, and the anime "Jigoku Shoujo" to which this fic is heavily based on.**

**A/N: Thanks for the follows and reviews. ^^, Please PM me if you got suggestions, or if you think someone from HA! deserves to be the Hell Girl's next victim.**

**Eugene Horowitz: The Contract**

"Fag!" Wolfgang shouted at him before cackling evilly and exchanging high-fives with Ludwig and other seventh-graders. They then walked away from the narrow alley where they stuffed Eugene inside one of the trash cans. This was the third time of the week he was forcibly dragged by Wolfgang and his gang after covering his head with a burlap sack, carried into this same alley, and stuffed in the trash can after shouting homophobic expletives at him.

_This thing is getting kinda old_, Eugene thought as he struggled to squirm his way out of the metallic cylinder in which his frail body was crammed into. He tried to look at the bright side of things, as always. But it seems like as days went by, it's becoming difficult for him to find a bright side in everything.

Sheena was passing by the dark alley on the way to her home when she heard someone groaning and shaking inside one of the trash cans. She held her breath, half-expecting that, and half-praying that it better not be her bestfriend who was inside the trash can.

"Eugene?!" she exclaimed as she took the lid off the trash can, finding a familliar redheaded boy with a stupid smirk on his face, crammed inside.

"Oh, hi Sheena. Looks like I got myself into a tight spot..hehehe..." he laughed awkwardly as she sighed, shaking her head as she pulled Eugene out of the trash can.

"Eugene, don't tell me it's _them_ again, is it?" Sheena asked him, both with concern and annoyance, as Eugene dusted his clothes.

Ever since Eugene came out of the closet early this year, the amount and intensity of bullying he received increased. He had his share of bullying before, being a clumsy klutz he was before he revealed his sexuality to everyone. The gang quickly understood him and accepted him for what he was. Sheena, though hurt by Eugene's "coming out" (she liked him _liked him_ after all), became closer with him. After all, she wanted him to be _at least_ her gay bestfriend, if not a proper boyfriend.

It was only last week when Sheena helped Eugene scrub off his locker, after someone spray-painted "FAG LYKS DIS" with a picture of a penis crudely drawn below. She was always with him, helping him endure, or at most, shield him from the bullying he got from narrow-minded who can't seem to stand Eugene's sexual preference. Like the time when someone broke into his locker, and filled it with a thick gooey substance (which they later discovered was Durex lube) with a note "This might come handy, fag.", she helped him clean it up. Long before even Eugene "outed" himself, she already knew that he was "playing for the same team". She offered herself to be his "beard" by dating him so that others would not suspect him to be gay. But Eugene politely turned down her offer, saying that a girl like Sheena deserves a better guy, and he doesn't want him to be on the way.

"No, Sheena. I just...I just tripped, you know. Heheh..." Eugene said as he dusted his clothes.

Sheena gave him a scowl, "Eugene, you're such a terrible liar." She looked at him darkly, arms folded across her chest.

"Okay, so Wolfgang and his crew decided to get rough on me, so..."

"Eugene, this is _serious_. Their bullying is getting worse. We gotta do something about this..."

"Sheena, there's no need to overreact. This is nothing serious..."

"_Nothing serious_?!" Sheena exclaimed, her eyes widening at him. "Eugene, this is the _third time_ this week I have to fish you out of the trash can."

Eugene opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"And how about the time someone spray-painted your locker?! Or when the filled your locker with god-knows-what-disgusting-stuff was that?!"

Eugene hung his head, letting his frizzy auburn hair cover his eyes.

"Or the time when someone took your bike and left it on the middle of the road to be run over by a passing truck?! Not to mention when someone trips you on the hallway, or pushes you down the stairs _on daily basis_! Eugene, I could not simply bear to see you be treated like this..."

"Sheena, please..." he interrupted, his head still hung low, his frizzy auburn hair obscuring his eyes. "It's been a long day...I don't want to talk about this anymore..."

Something glistened from his eyes and down to his cheek.

Sheena was taken aback. She suddenly felt guilty for berating Eugene. For someone as optimistic as Eugene, it's quite unsettling to hear him say this, as if he had given up all hope. She drew close to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Eugene. I'm just concerned, that's all..." she said to him soothingly. "Tell you what, why don't we head to Slausen's and get ourselves a large sundae hot fudge. My treat. They're playing Taylor Swift music there all day."

Eugene wiped wiped his cheek adn eyes wth the back of his had, and looked at Sheena, dewy-eyed and smiling, "Let's go then. Sundae hot fudge and Taylor Swift makes everything better."

Sheena offered her arm, which Eugene held and headed away from the dark alley and to the ice cream parlor.

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ **

11:55 PM

Eugene knew this was just a silly urban legend that Gerald loves telling to lighten up the gang's mood. Of all the urban legends that he tells them, everything turned out to be one big misunderstanding, or a hoax.

_"If you hate a person enough, the Hell Network Portal would open to you at the stroke of midnight..."_

Was wishing a person to disappear from the face of the planet after excessive torment "hating enough"? Eugene was not an evil person, and he would never wish ill even against those who tormented him.

But even a saint could only take as much. Every person, no matter how good or saintly he or she might be, has his or her limits.

And Eugene has reached his. It might not show, but he could no longer endure the torment, and keep a pleasant front for everyone to see.

11:58 PM

He thought he has nothing to lose by trying. If this was just a silly legend, then life would go on as usual, and he would go back to enduring all the bullying while struggling to find a bright side in everything.

But if the Hell Network Portal really exists...

He took a deep breath, sat in front of his computer, and double-clicked on his browser. He clicked the address bar and deleted the web address of his home page.

11:59 PM

With quick precise strokes, he typed in on the address bar the URL of the website.

_" "_

After a few seconds, the browser returned with the following message.

_"Page Error 404 - Not Found"_

Eugene snickered nervously. Of course, the Hell Network Portal can't be true. Silly him, it's a just a stupid urban legend! Eugene was about to close his browser when his eyes fell on his PC clock.

11:59 PM

It's _technically_ not yet midnight. Eugene thought to give the stupid urban legend one more try. After all, one more minute of waiting woud not hurt.

12:00 AM

Eugene hit the "F5" key to reload the page. To his surprise, the browser did not return the usual error message, but was able to load a page! His heart almost leapt out of his chest as he gazed blankly on the web page. It was a plain black page with no flash-based banners, no advertisements, no popups, almost nothing. On the middle of the page was a blank white field where you could enter a text. Above the field was the instructions written in white text, Times New Roman font.

_"Write the name of the person you want to deliver your vengeance to."_

Eugene swallowed hard, his hands were shaking badly. _So it was true after all! _Eugene wondered how many people have used this website. If he puts the name of the person in this website, would it really send him to hell? Isn't that same as killing the person?

No, this is different from killing. This is for the good. The world is better off without people like him.

After much deliberation, Eugene typed in the name of the person he had in mind.

_"Wolfgang Anderson."_

He then hit the "ENTER" key, and a black flame animation consumed the white field and the instruction text, leaving only a plain black page.

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

_She sat by her window, writing on her pink notebook, as she would gaze every now and then at the reddish-orange sun that hung near the horizon, ready to set down, but never really moving, remaining at its fixed point in the sky._

_The sun never sets in the land of Eternal Twilight. The landscape has always been like this for hundreds of years._

_She sighed as she penned the last words for her piece for today. As she finished her work, her desktop computer beeped once, and a black flame symbol appeared on the screen. She then closed her pink notebook, keeping the pen inside it on the page were she was working on. She then headed to her computer and sat on front of it._

_She gazed coldly at the black flame symbol on the monitor. She sighed as she pressed a few keys on the keyboard._

_Time to get to work._

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

A full minute has passed since Eugene has hit the enter button after typing in Wolfgang's name. He was just staring at the blank black page. Nothing's happening. He hit the "F5" key to reload the page, but the browser returned with the "Page Error 404 - Not Found" message.

Maybe the whole Hell Network Portal site was just a prank, set up by someone who got too much time in his hands and has nohing better to do. He looked at the PC clock. 12:02 AM. He decided to go to bed. After all, it's past midnight, and he still have to go to school tomorrow. He shut down his computer, and after it finally shut down, he turned around, only to see a blonde girl with cold blue eyes standing behind him, staring at him.

"Aaahhh!" he screamed in fright. "W-who the hell are you?! H-how did you get in?!"

"You summoned me," the blonde girl replied in her cold, emotionless voice. "My name is Helga."

"He-Helga?!" Eugene stammered, his hands shaking terribly. He looked at the mysterious blonde girl who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. She's in a pink dress, her blonde locks were tied in pigtails, and a big pink bow crowned her golden blonde hair. She looked like a fourth-grader. Eugene remembered remembered that part of the legend that said about a mysterious girl appearing after you put in a name on the Hell Network Portal website. Could she be the...?

"A-are you the Hell Girl?!"

She slowly nodded.

"You summoned me. I am here to deliver your vengeance. Take this." She then handed him a featureless black straw doll with a red string tied on its "neck". Eugene looked at it dumbly, hesitating to take it. She just kept her hand stretched, staring at him, unblinking, waiting for him to take the straw doll.

Eugene relented and took the doll from her hand.

"If you truly wish revenge, untie the red string on its neck," she continued in her usual cold tone. "Once you pull the string, you will enter into a contract with me. The person whose name you have written will be taken to hell..."

"R-really?" Eugene gazed on the straw doll, tempted to pull the red string and get everything done and over with. He's a brutish animal. Hell is just the right place for him. His eyes burned with hatred as he held the string.

"However, once your vengance had been served, you must hold your end of the bargain," Helga interrupted before Eugene could even yank the red string, as if reading his mind.

"My end of the bargain?" Eugene repeated, looking at her incredulously.

"When a soul is cursed, two graves are dug," she continued. "Your soul will belong to hell after you die. You will never know the happiness and joy of the Paradise. Your soul will wander in darkness, tormented by eternal agony, and will bear witness to the unspeakable horrors of Hell for the whole eternity. That is, only _after you die_."

Eugene shuddered upon hearing the price he has to pay for sending his tormentor to hell. He imagined being in a fiery place filled with pained moans and terrifying screams, invisible shadowy hands pulling him down, sinking in a sea of rotting corpses, as he the phantom hands starts to flay his skin, not minding his screams or pleas for mercy. And that will go on for eternity.

"No! No! No! I will not go to hell after I die! Take this back, you demon!" he screamed as he threw the straw doll back to Helga. The straw doll merely bounced off the wall of his room, and fell into the floor. Eugene was panting, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The image of hell seemed too real for him. If he can't take being in hell for a few seconds, what more if it was for the whole eternity. He picked up the straw doll, and looked around his room for the Hell Girl.

She's gone.


	3. Eugene Horowitz: The Sending

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, its characters and setting, and the anime "Jigoku Shoujo" to which this fanfiction was based on.**

**Eugene Horowitz: The Sending**

Eugene looked gloomily at the straw doll given to him by the Hell Girl. The terms of his agreement with her echoed in his head, her cold emotionless voice playing again and again.

_"If you truly wish revenge, untie the red string on its neck..."_

_"Do I really wish revenge?" _he asked himself as the red string danced with the wind as it blew on that cloudy day. Surely, Wolfgang and his cohorts tormented him to no end, and the amount of bullying he was getting was getting worse and worse each day, but does he hate him that much for him to seek vengeance of _that kind_?

A vengeance coming from the _depths of Hell_?

Something stirred within Eugene. He had been nursing it for a while now. It started as a seed that took root at the depths of his soul, and now it has grown, slowly blossoming as he silently took all the brunt of the torment, humiliation, and pain.

A seed of _hatred_ grew inside him, nurtured by all years of bullying.

Was it his fault that he was born different? Was it his fault that he preferred the company of girls than boys? Was it his fault that he preferred dancing, singing, and playing with dolls (albeit discreetly) rather than the rough boys' game? Was it his fault that he finds people of his own sex more attractive that of the opposite one?

No, those close-minded fools would never understand. But he would make them.

_"However, once your vengeance had been served, you must hold your end of the bargain..."_

In the end, would it be all worth it? Was sending his tormentor to hell worth his soul? He didn't to worry yet, for he will be taken to hell _after he dies._ That would be more than sixty or seventy years from now.

Or it could be as early as five years, a year, months from now, or _even tomorrow_.

_"When a soul is cursed, two graves are dug..."_

Before last night, he thought the legend of the Hell Girl was nothing but a childish folklore perpetuated by those who were constantly bullied. A legend that they had created themselves to have something to cling on, for them to fulfill their fantasies of exacting revenge upon those who tormented them. Yet last night, he just summoned her, and now, he has in his hands the tangible evidence of the Hell Girl's existence: a featureless black straw doll with a crimson thread tied on its neck, a symbol of his pact with Helga.

He wondered if he could still back out of the deal he entered. After all, he haven't untied the string yet. The contract he had with the Hell Girl had not yet been officially sealed. But he wondered how could he get in touch her. Does he need to log in to the Hell Network Portal once more at midnight?

"Eugene, breakfast's ready!" A voice from downstairs called out

"Yes, ma. I'm coming down."

He looked at the straw doll one more time. He's not ready to pull the string and face the consequences, and yet something _in him_ was telling him to keep the doll. He took his backpack and shoved the straw doll in it. Perhaps he can show this to Sheena, and she could help him decide. After all, she has been his bestfriend.

He got out of his room and went downstairs to the dining room to take his breakfast, and get ready for another day in the sixth grade.

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

"Battering ram!"

_**THUUD!**_

Wolfgang and his seventh-grade cohorts boisterously laughed as they carried the poor guy around and rammed his head against the door of the janitor closet. A dull thud resounded across the hallway, the guy's screams muffled by the burlap sack covering his head, and the duct tape that covered his mouth as well. He could not to anything but to squirm helplessly as his hands and and feet were bound with heavy-duty duct tape, and his thin frame was held by more than five strong hands.

"Spartans! Push! Breach the castle gates!" Wolfgang hollered as his cohorts laughed, taking a step back, preparing to ram the poor guy again against the door.

"HEY! YOU THERE! WHAT'S GOING ON!" a voice from the end of the hallway boomed.

Wolfgang turned his head, alarmed.

"Shit! Coppers! Run for it!"

Wolfgang and his gang dispersed and ran off faster than you can say "Jack Robinson", tossing the poor guy they had been using as a battering ram aside like a rag doll they got tired of playing. He could only whimper helplessly as he landed on his back hard on the floor.

Sheena, accompanied by Gerald and Arnold, emerged from the end of the hallway and headed to the poor guy. They took off the burlap sack covering his head, revealing a familiar redheaded guy they knew since preschool.

"Eugene! Are you alright!?" Sheena almost screamed, tears starting to well in her eyes.

"I...I'm okay..." he groaned after Arnold took off the duct tape from his mouth.

"Man, what the hell have they done to you?! You look awful!" Gerald said, looking at his bruises and the large bluish lump on his forehead that had formed.

"They had gone too far this time, Eugene. We'll be reporting this to the principal," Arnold said, his hand clenched on his side as he helped his redheaded back on to his feet.

"Guys...I appreciate the help...but seriously...don't..."

Sheena's eyes widened upon hearing this, "What do you mean 'don't'?! Eugene, look what they have done to you!"

"Sheena...I'm just...fine..."

"That's it, Eugene! Wolfgang must have hit your head too hard this time! I...I..." she began to sob. "I'm afraid, Eugene...that the next time I see you...it will be you in a body bag..." and her sobs finally drowned her words as she broke down in tears. Arnold patted her back to comfort her.

"Let's go Eugene. Let's go see the nurse first to fix you," Gerald said, helping Eugene to stand and walk by putting his arm over his back.

"Thanks, guys...Arnold, can you please...get my backpack...I must've dropped it somewhere..."

"I'll get it," Arnold said as he turned back to the spot where they saw Eugene lying on front of the janitor's closet. After scanning around, he saw his backpack lying on a corner. Arnold picked it up, and noticed that it was half-open. Something was sticking out of it. He took a closer at look at it, trying to figure out what it was.

_"What is this?"_ He took it out of the bag out of curiosity. He inspected it. A featureless black straw doll with a red string tied on its neck. What in the world was Eugene doing with this doll? He knew Eugene was openly gay, but they're in the sixth grade now. Wasn't he a bit too old to be still playing with dolls? Or unless, this doll was for something else...

Suddenly, he felt a cold rush of wind blow through him.

He looked in front of him, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest on what, _or who_, he saw.

A young blonde girl in a pink dress was standing before him, staring at him with her cold crystal blue eyes. It's her! It's the same blonde girl she saw in the alley two years ago when they were running away from Wolfgang and the fifth graders. She appeared to have never grown old even after two years he last saw her. She seemed to be nine or ten. She must be in the fourth grade then.

She just stood there, staring at him with those cold, emotionless eyes, unblinking, her golden pigtails dancing with the cold wind even though all the windows were closed, and it's warm and sunny outside.

He was about to open her mouth and ask her name when Gerald him from the end of the hall.

"Hey Arnold! Have you found Eugene's stuff? Help me out here, will ya?"

He turned to Gerald, "Yeah, I'll be right there." And he looked back to where the blonde girl was standing.

She's gone.

De ja vu.

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

"Thanks guys. I appreciate all of this, but you don't have to, really," Eugene said, grateful yet embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry, Eugene, if we see Wolfgang and his gang around, we'll pound 'em! Right guys?" Harold said, turning to Sid and Stinky who were right behind him.

"Yeah! We're itching for some action. I reckon those fellers would be a fair match, on the account that we kicked their asses in the past," Stinky concurred, crunching his knuckles, making loud threatening popping noises.

"And I would love to kick their asses the second time around," Sid added, grinning, excited at the prospect of a brawl with their schoolyard nemesis.

"Uh, guys, we're supposed to protect Eugene, not to get into a fight with them, remember? We won't fight back unless provoked, okay?" Arnold reminded the three, who sandwiched between them as is they were his bodyguards, and he the VIP they were tasked to protect.

"Thanks Arnold. This was such a good idea. Who knows what Wolfgang is up to after they got suspended after all what they did to Eugene," Sheena said to Arnold.

It had been almost a week since Arnold, Gerald, and Sheena had found Eugene being tortured by Wolfgang and his gang. Gerald had to use his voice-acting abilities to sound like one of the school's hall monitors to scare them away. After they had brought Eugene to the school's infirmary to be treated for his injuries, they reported this right away to the principal. Principal Schwartz, who would not tolerate any cases of severe bullying at his watch, acted upon this swiftly and summoned Wolfgang and his cohorts. He swiftly handed down the verdict: one week suspension, and a possibility of being expelled from the school if they would repeat this offense.

Instead of being relieved, this made Eugene worry even more. He knew the unwritten rule of the schoolyard: snitches get stitches. Arnold knew this as week, so he asked the big boys in the gang and seasoned schoolyard brawlers Harold, Stinky, and Sid for help. The three were known to be troublemakers, but could be relied upon by their friends in times of need. He asked them to walk Eugene and Sheena everyday on their way home. He knew Wolfgang would not take this lightly, and would seek to get back on Eugene with fury for being a "snitch".

The three were more than happy to oblige. They were itching for some action, after all. They had a bad blood with Wolfgang and his gang, and they were happy to have an excuse to go on a brawl with them. But above that, Eugene was their friend, and they accepted him for what he was, and they knew it was their obligation to protect him especially at this moment.

"Eugene, it's still more than three blocks from your house. Are you sure you and Sheena would be fine by yourselves?"

"We'll be fine, Arnold. We can take it from here. Jeez, you guys don't have to do this. I mean, you guys are supposed to be doing something or somewhere else, and here you are..." a lump formed in Eugene's throat, cutting off his words.

"Aw shucks, Eugene. Don't mention it. Besides, Wolfgang and his band of hooligans have a score to settle with us," Stinky quipped.

"Yeah, and I'm itching to pound that ugly face of his!" Harold joined in.

"Ah yeah, hehe, thanks guys," Eugene laughed awkwardly. "Me and Sheena can take it from here."

"Okay then. We'll be seeing you guys tomorrow. Take care then," Arnold said as he waved at them, watching Eugene and Sheena walk away from them.

"All this bodyguard stuff is making me hungry," Harold said as he watched them walk away.

"Harold, the moment that you would stop being hungry would be the moment I would _actually_ start liking that girly movie with those sparkly vampires," Sid said, smirking at him.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" the fat boy asked back, a bit annoyed, giving Sid a light shove.

"Nevermind, Harold. Let's just get ourselves some pizza," Arnold said, quickly defusing the situation.

"I reckon that's the best idea, Arnold," Stinky concurred as they headed to the direction of the nearest pizza place.

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

"Umm, Eugene?" Sheena shyly asked after they walked a block without saying any word to each other.

"Yes, Sheena?"

"Umm, the school dance would be this Saturday, right?" Sheena said, trying to gaze away from Eugene.

"Umm, yes. Why?" Eugene asked back, playing dumb. He knew what Sheena was getting to. He's not that stupid or dense not to know that his bestfriend was harboring feeling for him.

"I was wondering if...you know...you could..." Sheena stammered, fidgeting, staring at the pavement as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Take you to the school dance?" Eugene continued, smiling at her sweetly.

Sheena blushed hard, "Yes...will you? Please, Eugene? As friends?"

"Gosh, Sheena...I honestly don't know what to say..."

"It's okay if you don't want to..." she said, suddenly looking so sullen.

"Sheena dear," Eugene took her hand, turning to her. "I _would love_ to go with you to the dance."

Sheena's eyes brightened up, "Really?!"

"Yeah, _really_." Eugene nodded.

"Oh Eugene!" Sheena squealed in delight, then locked him in her arms, hugging him as hard as she could.

"You have no idea how happy I am today!" she squealed with sheer delight.

"Sheena..."

"I swear, the school dance will be the happiest day of my life!" she went on dreamily.

"Sheena..."

"I will make sure that that it will be a memorable night for both of us!" she went on, hugging Eugene harder.

"Sheena..." Eugene gasped.

"Yes, Eugene?"

"I can't...breathe..." he whimpered helplessly.

"Oh," Sheena let go of him, who then gasped for breath, redfaced from her hard embrace. "Sorry Eugene..." She smiled bashfully at him, rubbing the back of her head.

"It's okay..." Eugene replied, still trying to catch his breath.

"Thanks Eugene. You have no idea how much you made me happy," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. Tears of joy, Eugene thought.

"Aww, ain't that sweet." A mocking voice boomed from the street corner. Sheena and Eugene turned to the source of the voice, a jolt of terror ran through their spine. They knew who that voice was.

Wolfgang.

The stocky blonde bully together with his cohorts emerged from the street corner, smirking at them. This is definitely not good, Eugene thought. Sheena fearfully held at Eugene's arm.

"If it isn't Little Miss Snitchy Faggot and his tall 'beard'."

"Wolfgang...what do you want?" Eugene asked bravely, trying to hide the fact that he was trembling in fear.

"You know the rules, fag. Snitches get stitches. So you're a faggy snitch, and you will be lucky if they will be able to stitch you up after we _murder_ your ass." Wolfgang and his gang then laughed maniacally.

"Sheena, when I say run, we'll run as fast as we could, okay?" Eugene whispered to her.

"Okay, Eugene," she replied, snuggling closer to him.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"RUN FOR IT!"

Sheena began to ran blindly as fast as she could away from the bully and his gang. Much to her surprise, Eugene ran to the opposite direction, rushing directly to Wolfgang and his gang like a bull charging on to his target.

Or rather, a mosquito charging against a glass window.

Wolfgang simply swatted away Eugene, as if he weighed nothing, sending him crashing to the ground. His gang laughed as they watch Eugene crumple to the ground.

"Eugene!" Sheena screamed.

"Sheena, run...urgh!" Eugene called out to her, only to be cut off when someone kicked him on his side.

"Go get the girl," Wolfgang ordered his cohorts. They laughed and cheered madly as they scrambled to get Sheena. The tall girl wasted no time, running away as fast as she could, faster than she did in her entire life. She dropped her books, and even lost her shoe in the process. She could hear them getting closer, their mad laughter getting louder and louder.

"Gotcha!"

She felt someone swoop her from behind, and pulled her down forcefully, sending her crashing on to the pavement.

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

"You know what, I can't really stand fags. You know why?"

Eugene stood silent, his gazing down at the pavement as two burly seventh-graders held him at each arm, restricting his movements.

"Because they're loud, they're annoying, and they're _freaks_. They're not supposed to exist! I think all of them should be wiped off the face off the planet! Right guys!?" Wolfgang asked his gang of seventh-graders.

"Yes! Yes!" "They ought to be wiped off, yeah!" "Yeah! Show 'em, Wolfgang!"

Wolfgang grinned, self-assured by his gang's approval. Eugene could only throw a momentary disgusted glance at them. Bunch of yes-men, currying their leader's favor. How pathetic, Eugene thought.

But he would not dare show any hint of disapproval of disgust to them, especially at this

situation, lest he would risk being beaten up mercilessly by this bunch of seventh-grade bullies. He could only clutch his backpack harder, bracing himself for the worst.

"Now, ginger fag, lemme ask you something. Why you're _such a fag_, huh?"

Good question. That's one question that even Eugene himself has no definite answer. He asked this to his self a thousand times before. Was there an event his life that made him gay? Or did he become gay by choice?

To quote Lady Gaga: maybe he was born this way. Nature triumphed over nurture.

"I...I don't know..." was all he replied.

"You don't know?! What do you mean 'you don't know'?!" Wolfgang roared at him.

"I just don't know..."

"I tell you why. 'Coz you love dicks, that's why!"

Wolfgang and his gang of seventh-grade bullies roared with laughter. Eugene could only watch them in silence, praying for this whole ordeal to be done and over with.

"You never seen a naked lady, have you?"

"What?" Eugene dumbly asked.

"A real naked woman, have you seen one?"

Eugene shook his head. He felt disgusted at the sight of naked women, especially the ones on the magazines that Sid, Stinky, and Harold were passing around. Well, if those pictures were of muscle-bound men, it will be a different story.

"No wonder you got stuck with your _dick fetish_. This should get rid of your gayness, you ginger freak. Bring out the girl!" Wolfgang commanded his cohorts.

Two of his gang came out of the corner, dragging with them a tall sixth grader girl to this dark alley, where Wolfgang and his cohorts dragged him when knocked him down after he vainly tried to stop them from running after Sheena. Eugene's eyes widened as he recognized the girl.

"Sheena!"

"Eugene!"

"Aww, ain't that sweet?" Wolfgang remarked, laughing maniacally.

"Let her go, Wolfgang! Or else..."

"Or else what, ginger fag?! What are you gonna do? Slap us silly? Scream like a queer you are?" he retorted mockingly at the sixth-grader, smirking at him.

"Please...let her go.." he replied weakly, being reminded of his relative helplessness. In the face of these brutes.

"No! Edmund, let the show begin!"

The whole gang roared and hooted with anticipation, as Edmund began to forcefully strip off Sheena's shirt. He tugged and tugged her shirt down, ripping it off by its seams. Sheena could only squeal and helplessly cover herself as her shirt was being stripped off her.

Eugene could not bear to watch his bestfriend being humiliated just like that. Worse, the feeling of helplessness in the face of being tormented like this slowly eats him.

If he could only do something. If he was only strong, big, and brave enough to stand against them...

But he could only watch helplessly...so powerless...so weak...

Something inside him stirred. The seed that had remained dormant for so long, nurtured by years of torment, had taken root deep within him, and had now blossomed fully, and about to bear fruit.

The _seed of hatred_ had now bore fruit, the fruit called _vengeance_.

He realized that he was not helpless after all. He has in his hands the power to avenge all the years of needless torment he had endured in the hands of these brutes.

He had the power of the _Hell Girl_.

He slipped his hand inside his backpack, and felt and held the symbol of his contract with Helga: the black straw doll. He felt his whole body burn with hatred even more as he held the doll. With one deft movement, he whipped it out of the bag.

"Stop it, Wolfgang."

"Huh? You sayin' something, fag?"

"I said stop it, Wolfgang. You heard me. Or else..." Eugene said, but his voice didn't sound it was coming from him.

"Oh yeah?" the bully retorted. "Or else what, sissy boy?"

"You'll be very, very, _very_ sorry." Eugene said threateningly, his eyes burning with hatred, holding out the black straw doll to him.

"Oh, what are you gonna do? Hit me with that doll of yours? I'm so scared, boo hoo." Wolfgang said mockingly, which caused his gang to roar out with laughter.

"You have been warned, Wolfgang. Goodbye." Eugene said, a light smirk formed across his lips, and with one quick stroke, pulled the red string off the doll's neck.

A thin, cold voice whispered on Eugene's ear after he had undone the doll's string.

It could not be mistaken. It was Helga's.

_"I will deliver your vengeance."_

The sky suddenly darkened, and the alley they were in was suddenly filled with dark gray mist. The black straw doll that Eugene held slowly faded away, until it totally disappeared from his hand.

"Wha-what's going on?" Wolfgang said, fear obvious in his voice.

Suddenly, a black round shadow that seemed to be like a dark portal to some unearthly realm appeared behind Wolfgang. It grew in size until it was as big as him. They could hear unearthly sounds coming from the dark portal. Screams, moans, cries, shrieks, groans, all combined in one hellish cacophony.

Wolfgang and his gang were frozen in fear. Sheena and Eugene watched in horror as they saw something emerge from the dark portal. Inky black hands emerged from it, reaching out for Wolfgang.

"No...no...no! Get away from me!" the blond bully shrieked as he stepped away from the hands that reached for him. He stumbled on a rock, causing him to fall hard on his back. One of the inky black hands caught him by his ankle, and began pulling him into the dark portal. The other hands held on his feet, knees, legs, shins, every part of his body they could hold on, and began dragging the seventh-grade bully into the portal.

"Help me! Get me out of here! Edmund! Ludwig!" He cried out, looking at his gang for help. His cohorts could only look at him in horror as they watched their leader being dragged into the dark portal that appeared out of nowhere. They were frozen with fear. As if by cue, they began to step away, and ran like scared mice to random directions.

Abandoned by his so-called friends, he turned to the only people left in that alley: Eugene and Sheena.

"Eugene, help me, please..." he cried out, looking at him with pleading eyes. Sheena held on to Eugene as she watched the whole proceedings in horror. Eugene too was frozen in terror. A pang of regret began to hit him. He did not expect the kind of horror he's going to unleash by pulling the red string from the black straw doll. He could only watch his tormentor being dragged into the dark portal by the inky black hands.

"Help me please...nooooooooooooo!"

Wolfgang's blood curdling scream filled the alley as the black hands prevailed over him, finallly dragging his whole body into the portal, and into the hellish realm behind it. Then, the portal slowly shrank until it was no bigger than than a quarter, before it disappeared into thin air.

Then there was silence. The cacophony of unearthly screams, moans, shrieks, cries disappeared. The dark gray mist was gone as well. The skies went back to normal.

There was nothing but silence. And Eugene and Sheena, still holding on to each other, frozen in terror. Few moments later, Eugene finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"My God...what have I done..."

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

_Wolfgang found himself in a dark space. Was he in a closet? In a cave? In a dark room? What the hell happened? Last thing he remembered, he was in that alley with his cohorts, and the next thing was he found himself in this dark space._

_Then he saw light not far from him. As he drew closer to the light, he could hear voices coming from it. He strained his hearing, trying to recognize those voices. _

_Dad?_

_It appears that he was behind some door, and the light was a door leading to the room where his Dad was. As he drew closer, he could hear his dad, as if talking to another man. But their voices were hushed, as if two lovers in a secret tryst._

_"Dad?" Wolfgang called out._

_"C'mon darling, give it to me...c'mon...you know how I love that..." was all he could hear from behind the door. Slowly, he crept and peeked at the door's opening. His eyes widened on what he saw._

_The man he knew and called his father, together with another man, both of them naked, doing unspeakable, dirty things to each other. Tears streamed from his eyes in disgust and shock, and he ran aimlessly back into the dark space. Suddenly, he stumbled on something, and fell flat on to the ground before he blacked out. _

_When he regained his senses, he was inside a brightly lit room. The walls and floor were all tiled. He recognized this room he was in right now. It's the shower room of the juvenile facility he was sent to a few years back after he was caught stealing in a corner store. _

_Out of nowhere, four or five burly teenage boys clad only in towels surrounded him, smirking and leering at him._

_"Is that the fresh meat?" asked the tallest among them._

_"Yeah, Max. This one looks like a nice piece of ass."_

_Then they all laughed diabolically, their eyes glowed with malice. Suddenly, one of them held out a bar of soap and dropped it in front of Wolfgang. He grinned evilly at him._

_"Oops, I've dropped my soap. Go and pick it up, fresh meat."_

_"Yeah, pick it up, ahora mismo." _

_"We're waiting, fresh meat."_

_They all laughed diabolically, leering at Wolfgang. He could do nothing but to cover his ears, trying to muffle out their evil laughter. What kind of torture is this? Why the hell does he have to live this moment of his life all over again, now that he buried deep in the darkest corner of his memory?_

_Suddenly, everything faded away, and was replaced by the inky darkness, but their laughter still echoed through the darkness. Then, a young girl clad in black dress materialized in front of him. She was wearing a black Victorian dress with a pink ribbon belt accented pink ribbon chrysanthemum, her flowing blonde hair was tied in pigtails, and a big pink bow crowned her blonde locks. She gazed upon Wolfgang with her cold, crystal blue eyes. She hovered closer to him, her eyes fixed upon his._

_"Who-who the hell are you?! Lemme out of here!" Wolfgang said to the young girl girl, terrified and trembling._

_The young blonde girl replied with silence. The laughter grew louder and louder. Then, she lifted her hand, and pointed her finger to Wolfgang._

_"Oh pitiful shadow lost in darkness, bringing torment and pain to others. Oh damned soul, wallowing in your sin..." she said to him, cold and emotionless._

_Then suddenly, there was silence. The laughter stopped, and only deafening silence pervaded. The young girl opened her lips, breaking the silence._

_"Perhaps...it is time for you to die..."_

_With that said, she ran her finger to her bow, untying it, and threw it to Wolfgang. Suddenly, he felt as if he was sinking on the ground he was standing on, as if he was on top of a quicksand. He tried moving his feet, but it's no use. He was sinking fast._

_"No...no...noooooo!" was only what Wolfgang could scream as he sank into the darkness, and into nothingness._

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

_When he regained consciousness, he was on a hard surface. He opened his eyes, and realized he was on a boat. At the end of the boat was the young blonde girl, manning the oar. _

_"Hey, just who are you, and where the hell am I?!" he roared at the blonde girl._

_Without looking at him, she opened her lips and replied._

_"My name is Helga, and you're coming with me. I am taking you to Hell."_

_"Hey, what's the big idea?! Get me out of here-urgh!"_

_His words were cut off when an inky black hand emerged from the bottom of the boat and covered his mouth. Soon, other inky black hands emerged and held him down on to the boat, restricting his movements, making struggle useless. _

_Helga continued on paddling the along the blood red river, taking his latest passenger to the one destination she had been ferrying souls for hundreds of years to. She could hear the shrieks, moans, cries, screams, and other inhuman noises getting louder and louder. She knew instantly she's getting near their destination._

_Hell._

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

"Oh Eugene, you must be Sheena's date for the school dance."

"Umm, yes, Mrs. Stephenson. Hehe," Eugene awkwardly replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"My oh my, don't you look handsome, dear."

"Umm, thanks, ma'am," Eugene blushed hard at her compliment.

"Come in. Sheena's getting dressed for the school dance. Why don't you wait for her in our living room?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Stephenson," he replied as he headed into their living room, settling on the leather couch. He uneasily looked at the clock hanging on the wall every now and then, anticipating Sheena's dress for the night. He would be more than happy to act as a fashion critique for her and their other classmates for tonight. In fact, he readied his "fashion police ticket" for tonight to issue (as a joke, of course) to anybody he deemed as poorly dressed for the school dance.

Eugene smiled as he reclined on the couch. Things had been certainly better since their ordeal last week. Ever since Wolfgang's mysterious disappearance, all his other seventh-grade cohorts had been especially afraid of him. Various rumors had surfaced in their school about Wolfgang's sudden disappearance. Some said he got himself caught in a drug deal that had gone bad, and was "disposed" by the street gang he crossed. Some said that he ran away and crossed the border to Canada after he stole a large amount of money from a street gang he was involved with.

None of his seventh-grade "friends" were who present that day have told anyone what exactly happened. It was simply too outrageous, and _too crazy_ to be true. They knew no one would believe them, and would even suspect that they were taking drugs if they would tell anyone what really happened. One of them, Edmund, Wolfgang's closest "friend", had been sent to a psychiatric ward and now currently undergoing therapy after nights of waking up, screaming, having nightmares about "black inky hands grabbing and dragging him into the depths of hell". Wolfgang's mother tearfully filed a missing person's report at the police station, and been making daily trips there to get updates. Unfortunately, the police have no leads on his whereabouts. They interviewed everyone, including Eugene, but to no avail.

Since then, Eugene kept asking himself: was it all really worth it?

His thoughts was broken when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked up and smiled at his date. Sheena was indeed ravishing tonight. Her long dark brown hair was tied in a braid, adorned with a yellow crystal chrysanthemum clip. She was wearing a flame orange dress, with light yellow highlights near the hem. Eugene grinned at the sight of his date.

"My oh my, dear Sheena. I thought I saw Katniss Everdeen in flesh. The girl on fire!" Eugene quipped.

"Silly. Hey, you're not looking bad yourself," Sheena complimented at his well pressed black suit. They both chuckled as they exchanged awkward glances.

"So, shall we go now?" Sheena asked him, offering his arm.

"Ummm, I gotta use the bathroom first. Ummm, can I use your bathroom?" Eugene asked her, smiling bashfully.

"Sure. It's down the end of the hall."

Eugene headed into the bathroom. As he was washing his hands on the sink, his gaze fell upon his reflection. He smiled as he adjusted his bow tie. Then, he unconsciously unbuttoned his shirt, and took a look at his naked chest. He gazed upon the bitter reminder of his contract he entered with the Hell Girl, a mark he had to wear until the day that she would come back for him to fulfill his end of the bargain.

A black flame tattoo on his chest.

**+-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+ +-=Hell Girl=-+**

_Helga made her way into the darkened room lit with hundreds, if not thousands, of candles. She was bearing a newly lit candle. She slowly made her way across the passages between the rows of lit candles burning. She finally made it to the appointed spot where she will lay this new candle to rest. She then placed the new candle between other candles, some almost burnt out, some halfway through their lifespan. On the new candle that she just placed, the name of the "client" that the candle represents was clearly painted. _

_"Eugene Horowitz"_

_Helga knew that once this candle had reached its end and finally burnt out, representing the end of her client's life, she would be coming for him to fulfill his end of the bargain, ferrying his soul to hell just like as his tormentor. If the flame of the candle went out even before it reached the end, it means that the client had met an untimely death, and she still needs to come for him and let him fulfill his contract with her._

_Such is the duty of the Hell Girl. No exceptions._

_As she headed to the door leading out of the room, she turned and glanced at the hundred of candles, each with names of individuals who entered the contract with her painted on them. She sighed and whispered to herself before turning away and heading out of the room._

_"Human life is an existence full of misery and sin..."_


End file.
